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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - N° 235
DATE 28-12-2012
Summary:
- PAPAL AND HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS FOR SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2012
- BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR JANUARY 2013
- ST. STEPHEN, MODEL OF NEW EVANGELISATION
- CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: MAY PEACE SPRING FROM THE EARTH
- MIDNIGHT MASS: MAY GOD GRANT US THE CURIOSITY TO KNOW HIM
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
- THE VISITATION REPRESENTS THE BEAUTY OF HOSPITALITY
- NOTICE
___________________________________________________________
PAPAL AND HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS FOR SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2012
Vatican City, 28 December 2012 (VIS) - The following are highlights of the
activities of Pope Benedict XVI and of the Holy See for the months of
September to December 2012.
SEPTEMBER
4: Message from the Holy Father for the funeral of Cardinal Carlo Maria
Martini, S.J., archbishop emeritus of Milan, Italy, who died on 31 August at
the age of 85.
10: The Holy Father receives the second group of bishops from the Episcopal
Conference of Colombia, at the end of their five-yearly "ad limina" visit.
14-16: Apostolic Visit to Lebanon.
14: Publication of Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of the Special Assembly
for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops, "Ecclesia in Medio Oriente" in
Beirut, Lebanon.
18: The Holy Father appoints the Synod Fathers for the Thirteenth Ordinary
General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which takes place from 7 to 28
October on the theme "The new evangelisation for the transmission of the
Christian faith".
20: Cardinal Fortunato Baldelli, penitentiary major emeritus of the Apostolic
Penitentiary, dies at the age of 77.
21: The Holy Father receives prelates from the Episcopal Conference of France
on their "ad limina" visit.
25: "God, the unknown. Dialogue between believers and non-believers" is the
theme of the "Atrium of St. Francis", an initiative organised by the
Pontifical Council for Culture, the Holy Convent of Assisi and the "Oicos
Riflessioni" Association.
OCTOBER
4: Pastoral visit to Loreto, Italy, to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of
the Blessed Pope John XXIII's pilgrimage to the Marian city.
5: By a decree made public today and signed by Cardinal Manuel Monteiro de
Castro and Bishop Krzysztof Nykiel, respectively penitentiary major and regent
of the Apostolic Penitentiary, Benedict XVI grants faithful Plenary Indulgence
for the occasion of
the Year of Faith. The indulgence will be valid from the opening of the Year
on 11 October 2012 until its end on 24 November 2013.
7-28: Thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, on the
theme: "The New Evangelisation for the Transmission of the Christian faith".
8: Benedict XVI proclaims St. John of Avila and St. Hildegard of Bingen as
Doctors of the Universal Church and presides at the Eucharistic celebration
during which he inaugurates the thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the
Synod of Bishops.
8: Cardinal Lucian Muresan, major archbishop of Fagaras and Alba Julia of the
Romanians, Romania, takes possession of the title of Sant'Atanasio, Via del
Babuino 149, Rome.
10: In the general audiences, an Arabic speaker joins the other speakers
providing a summary of the papal catechesis in various different languages.
11: Beginning of the Year of Faith.
14: Cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan, archbishop of New York, takes possession
of the title of Nostra Signora di Guadalupe a Monte Mario, Piazza Nostra
Signora di Guadalupe 12, Rome.
14: Cardinal George Alencherry, major archbishop of Ernakulam Angamaly of the
Syro-Malabars, takes possession of the title of San Bernardo alle Terme, Via
Torino 94, Rome.
18: Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States,
receives the Letters of Credence of Carl-Henri Guiteau, ambassador of Haiti to
the Holy See.
20: Cardinal Julien Ries takes possession of the diaconate of Sa
t’Antonio di Padova a Circonvallazione Appia, Circonvallazione Appia
150, Rome.
20: The "Ratzinger Prize" is conferred upon historian and philosopher Remi
Brague, and scholar of patrology and theology Fr. Brian Edward Daley S.J.
21: Papal Mass for the canonisation of seven new saints: Jacques Berthieu,
martyr and priest of the Society of Jesus (1838-1896); Pedro Calungsod, lay
catechist and martyr (1654-1672); Giovanni Battista Piamarta, priest and
founder of the Congregation
of the Holy Family of Nazareth and of the Congregation of the Humble Sister
Servants of the Lord (1841-1913); Maria del Carmen (born Maria Salles y
Barangueras), foundress of the Conceptionist Missionary Sisters of Teaching
(1848-1911); Marianne Cope,
nee Barbara, religious of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in
Syracuse U.S.A. (1838-1918); Kateri Tekakwitha, laywoman (1656-1680), and Anna
Schaeffer, laywoman (1882-1925).
23: Cardinal Thomas Christopher Collins, archbishop of Toronto, Canada, takes
possession of the title of San Patrizio, Via Boncompagni 31, Rome.
25: Cardinal Edwin Frederick O'Brien, grand master of the Equestrian Order of
the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, takes possession of the
diaconate of San Sebastiano al Palatino, Via di San Bonaventura, Rome.
29: Pope's Message for the ninety-ninth World Day of Migrants and Refugees (13
January 2013) on the theme: "Migrations: Pilgrimage of Faith and Hope".
31: The Holy Father presides at the first Vespers of the Solemnity of All
Saints in the Sistine Chapel to commemorate the five-hundredth anniversary of
the unveiling of the ceiling frescoes painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and
1512.
NOVEMBER
10: By the Motu Proprio "Latina lingua" Benedict XVI establishes the
Pontifical Academy for Latin, under the auspices of the Pontifical Council for
Culture.
12: The Holy Father visits the Sant Egidio Community's "Viva gli Anziani" rest
home for the elderly in Rome, to mark the occasion of the European Year for
Active Ageing and Solidarity Among Generations.
16: Holy Father's Message for the 28th World Youth Day 2013, which will take
place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July 2013, with the title "Go and make
disciples of all nations!"
17: Pope's address to prelates from the Episcopal Conference of France on
their "ad limina" visit.
20: Presentation to the international press of the book "The Infancy
Narratives", third volume of Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI's "Jesus of
Nazareth" trilogy.
24: Ordinary Public Consistory for the creation of six new cardinals.
30: Pope's address to the third group of prelates from the Episcopal
Conference of France on their "ad limina" visit.
DECEMBER
1: Publication of Benedict XVI's Apostolic Letter issued "motu proprio" on
"The Service of Charity", dated 11 November 2012.
9: Inauguration of the International Congress "Ecclesia in America" on the
Church in the American continent with a Eucharistic celebration in St. Peter's
Basilica.
12: The Pope enters Twitter with a blessing.
13: Audience with six new ambassadors and non-resident ambassadors accredited
to the Holy See: Bizwayo Newton Nkunika of Zambia, Chalermpol Thanchitt of
Thailand, Ravinatha Pandukabhaya Aryasinha of Sri Lanka, Wafic Rida Said of
St. Vincent and the
Grenadines, Aminatou Batoure Gaoh of Niger and Ibrahima Sory Sow of Guinea.
16: Third Sunday of Advent "Gaudete", pastoral visit to the Roman parish of
San Patrizio al Colle Prenestino, celebration of the Eucharist at 9.30 a.m.
17: The Holy Father receives in audience Mahmoud Abbas, president of the
Palestinian Authority.
17: The Holy See and the Republic of China complete the necessary procedures
to allow the entry in force of the Agreement between the Congregation for
Catholic Education and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China on
collaboration in the
field of higher education and on the recognition of studies, qualifications,
diplomas and degrees.
22: Benedict XVI grants pardon to Paolo Gabriele.
___________________________________________________________
BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR JANUARY 2013
Vatican City, 28 December 2012 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer
intention for January 2013 is: "That in this Year of Faith Christians may
deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the
gift of faith in him".
His mission intention is: "That the Christian communities of the Middle East,
often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of
fidelity and perseverance".
___________________________________________________________
ST. STEPHEN, MODEL OF NEW EVANGELISATION
Vatican City, 26 December 2012 (VIS) - At midday today, Feast of St. Stephen
the Deacon and Protomartyr, the Holy Father appeared at the window of his
study to pray the Angelus with faithful gathered below in St. Peter's Square.
The Pope explained that in the Acts of the Apostles St. Stephen is portrayed
as a "man filled with grace and the Holy Spirit; in him we find the fulfilment
of Jesus' promise ... that the believers called to bear witness in difficult
and dangerous
circumstances will not be abandoned or left defenceless: the Spirit of God
will speak within them. Indeed, the deacon Stephen was inspired by the Holy
Spirit as he worked, spoke and died, bearing witness to the love of Christ
even to the point of the
most extreme sacrifice... Filled with the Holy Spirit, just before his eyes
were dimmed forever, he turned his gaze upon 'Jesus standing at the right side
of God', the Lord of all, who draws all to Him ... Allowing ourselves to be
drawn to Christ, like
St. Stephen, means opening our lives to the light that calls, guides and makes
us follow the path of good, the path of humanity according to God’s
loving plan".
St. Stephen is, furthermore, "a model for all those who wish to serve the new
evangelisation", continued the Holy Father. "He demonstrates that the newness
of proclamation does not consist primarily in the use of original methods or
techniques, although
these are certainly useful, but rather relies on the presence of the Holy
Spirit in our lives, and on allowing ourselves to be guided by Him. The
newness of proclamation resides in profound immersion in the mystery of
Christ, in the assimilation of His
Word and His presence in the Eucharist, so that He, the living Christ, might
speak and act through His envoy. In essence, the evangeliser becomes capable
of effectively bringing Christ to others when he lives the life of Christ,
when the newness of the
Gospel is made manifest in his own life. We pray to the Virgin Mary that the
Church, in this Year of Faith, might see more men and women who, like St.
Stephen, are able to bear convinced and courageous witness to the Lord Jesus".
___________________________________________________________
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: MAY PEACE SPRING FROM THE EARTH
Vatican City, 25 December 2012 (VIS) - At midday today, Solemnity of the
Nativity of the Lord, the Pope pronounced his traditional Christmas Message
from the central loggia of the Vatican Basilica, and imparted the 'Urbi et
Orbi' blessing.
"In this Year of Faith, I express my Christmas greetings and good wishes in
these words taken from one of the Psalms: 'Truth shall spring out of the
earth'", said the Holy Father in his message. "Today these prophetic words
have been fulfilled! In
Jesus, born in Bethlehem of the Virgin Mary, kindness and truth do indeed
meet; justice and peace have kissed; truth has sprung out of the earth and
justice has looked down from heaven. Saint Augustine explains with admirable
brevity: ... 'The Truth
which heaven cannot contain has sprung out of the earth, to be laid in a
manger. For whose benefit did so lofty a God become so lowly? Certainly not
for his own, but for our great benefit, if we believe'.
"'If we believe'. Here we see the power of faith! God has done everything; He
has done the impossible: He was made flesh. His all-powerful love has
accomplished something which surpasses all human understanding: ... And yet,
this same God cannot enter
my heart unless I open the door to Him.
"Porta fidei! The door of faith! We could be frightened by this, our inverse
omnipotence. This human ability to be closed to God can make us fearful. But
see the reality which chases away this gloomy thought, the hope that conquers
fear: truth has
sprung up! God is born! ... In this world there is a good soil which God has
prepared, that He might come to dwell among us. ... This good earth exists,
and today too, in 2012, from this earth truth has sprung up! Consequently,
there is hope in the
world, a hope in which we can trust, even at the most difficult times and in
the most difficult situations. Truth has sprung up, bringing kindness, justice
and peace.
"Yes, may peace spring up for the people of Syria, deeply wounded and divided
by a conflict which does not spare even the defenceless and reaps innocent
victims. Once again I appeal for an end to the bloodshed, easier access for
the relief of refugees
and the displaced, and dialogue in the pursuit of a political solution to the
conflict.
"May peace spring up in the Land where the Redeemer was born, and may He grant
Israelis and Palestinians courage to end to long years of conflict and
division, and to embark resolutely on the path of negotiation.
"In the countries of North Africa, which are experiencing a major transition
in pursuit of a new future – and especially the beloved land of Egypt,
blessed by the childhood of Jesus – may citizens work together to build
societies founded on
justice and respect for the freedom and dignity of every person.
"May peace spring up on the vast continent of Asia. May the Child Jesus look
graciously on the many peoples who dwell in those lands and, in a special way,
upon all those who believe in Him. May the King of Peace turn His gaze to the
new leaders of the
People’s Republic of China for the high task which awaits them. I
express my hope that, in fulfilling this task, they will esteem the
contribution of the religions, in respect for each, in such a way that they
can help to build a fraternal society
for the benefit of that noble People and of the whole world.
"May the Birth of Christ favour the return of peace in Mali and concord in
Nigeria, where savage acts of terrorism continue to reap victims, particularly
among Christians. May the Redeemer bring help and comfort to the refugees from
the east of the
Democratic Republic of Congo, and grant peace to Kenya, where brutal attacks
have struck the civilian population and places of worship.
"May the Child Jesus bless the great numbers of the faithful who celebrate Him
in Latin America. May He increase their human and Christian virtues, sustain
all those forced to leave behind their families and their land, and confirm
government leaders in
their commitment to development and fighting crime.
"Dear brothers and sisters! Kindness and truth, justice and peace have met;
they have become incarnate in the child born of Mary in Bethlehem. That child
is the Son of God; He is God appearing in history. His birth is a flowering of
new life for all
humanity. May every land become a good earth which receives and brings forth
kindness and truth, justice and peace. Happy Christmas to all of you!"
Following his Message, the Pope extended Christmas greetings in sixty-five
languages and imparted his blessing "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world).
___________________________________________________________
MIDNIGHT MASS: MAY GOD GRANT US THE CURIOSITY TO KNOW HIM
Vatican City, 24 December 2012 (VIS) - The Pope tonight celebrated Midnight
Mass in the Vatican Basilica for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord.
During the Eucharistic celebration, following the reading of the Gospel, the
Holy Father delivered his homily, ample extracts from which are given below:
"Again and again it astonishes us that God makes Himself a child so that we
may love Him, so that we may dare to love Him, and as a child trustingly lets
Himself be taken into our arms. It is as if God were saying: I know that my
glory frightens you,
and that you are trying to assert yourself in the face of my grandeur. So now
I am coming to you as a child, so that you can accept me and love me.
"I am also repeatedly struck by the Gospel writer’s almost casual remark
that there was no room for them at the inn. Inevitably the question arises,
what would happen if Mary and Joseph were to knock at my door. Would there be
room for them? And
then it occurs to us that Saint John takes up this seemingly chance comment
about the lack of room at the inn, which drove the Holy Family into the
stable; he explores it more deeply and arrives at the heart of the matter when
he writes: 'he came to his
own home, and his own people received him not'. The great moral question of
our attitude towards the homeless, towards refugees and migrants, takes on a
deeper dimension: ... Does God actually have a place in our thinking? Our
process of thinking is
structured in such a way that He simply ought not to exist. Even if He seems
to knock at the door of our thinking, He has to be explained away. If thinking
is to be taken seriously, it must be structured in such a way that the 'God
hypothesis' becomes superfluous. ... We are so 'full' of ourselves that there
is no room left for God.
"And that means there is no room for others either, for children, for the
poor, for the stranger. By reflecting on that one simple saying about the lack
of room at the inn, we have come to see how much we need to listen to Saint
Paul's exhortation: 'Be
transformed by the renewal of your mind'. Paul speaks of ... the whole way we
view the world and ourselves. The conversion that we need must truly reach
into the depths of our relationship with reality. Let us ask the Lord ... that
we may that we may
hear how ... He knocks at the door of our being and willing. Let us ask that
we may make room for Him within ourselves, that we may recognise Him also in
those through whom He speaks to us: children, the suffering, the abandoned,
those who are excluded
and the poor of this world.
"There is another verse from the Christmas story on which I should like to
reflect with you – the angels' hymn of praise, which they sing out
following the announcement of the new-born Saviour: 'Glory to God in the
highest and on earth peace among
men with whom He is pleased.' God is glorious ... the radiance of truth and
love. ... He is ... goodness par excellence. The angels surrounding Him begin
by simply proclaiming the joy of seeing God's glory. ... There is no question
of attempting to
understand the meaning of it all, but simply the overflowing happiness of
seeing the pure splendour of God's truth and love. We want to let this joy
reach out and touch us: truth exists, pure goodness exists, pure light exists.
God is good, and He is
the supreme power above all powers. All this should simply make us joyful
tonight, together with the angels and the shepherds.
"Linked to God's glory on high is peace on earth among men. Where God is not
glorified, where He is forgotten or even denied, there is no peace either.
Nowadays, though, widespread currents of thought assert the exact opposite:
they say that religions,
especially monotheism, are the cause of the violence and the wars in the
world. If there is to be peace, humanity must first be liberated from them.
Monotheism, belief in one God, is said to be arrogance, a cause of
intolerance, because by its nature,
with its claim to possess the sole truth, it seeks to impose itself on
everyone.
"Now it is true that in the course of history, monotheism has served as a
pretext for intolerance and violence. It is true that religion can become
corrupted and hence opposed to its deepest essence, when people think they
have to take God's cause into
their own hands, making God into their private property. We must be on the
lookout for these distortions of the sacred. While there is no denying a
certain misuse of religion in history, it is not true that denial of God would
lead to peace. If God's
light is extinguished, man's divine dignity is also extinguished. Then the
human creature would cease to be God's image, to which we must pay honour in
every person, in the weak, in the stranger, in the poor. Then we would no
longer all be brothers and
sisters, children of the one Father, who belong to one another on account of
that one Father. The kind of arrogant violence that then arises, the way man
then despises and tramples upon man: we saw this in all its cruelty in the last
century. Only if God's light shines over man and within him, only if every
single person is desired, known and loved by God is his dignity inviolable,
however wretched his situation may be. ... And through the centuries, while
there has been misuse of
religion, it is also true that forces of reconciliation and goodness have
constantly sprung up from faith in the God Who became man. Into the darkness
of sin and violence, this faith has shone a bright ray of peace and goodness,
which continues to shine.
"So Christ is our peace. ... How could we now do other than pray to Him: Yes,
Lord, proclaim peace today to us too, whether we are far away or near at hand.
Grant also to us today that swords may be turned into ploughshares, that
instead of weapons for
warfare, practical aid may be given to the suffering. Enlighten those who
think they have to practise violence in your name, so that they may see the
senselessness of violence and learn to recognize your true face. Help us to
become people 'with whom
you are pleased' – people according to your image and thus people of
peace".
"Let us go over to Bethlehem, says the Church's liturgy to us today.
Trans-eamus is what the Latin Bible says: let us go 'across', daring to step
beyond, to make the 'transition' by which we step outside our habits of
thought and habits of life, across
the purely material world into the real one, across to the God Who in His turn
has come across to us".
"Let us go over to Bethlehem: as we say these words to one another, along with
the shepherds, we should not only think of the great 'crossing over' to the
living God, but also of the actual town of Bethlehem and all those places
where the Lord lived,
ministered and suffered. Let us pray at this time for the people who live and
suffer there today. Let us pray that there may be peace in that land. Let us
pray that Israelis and Palestinians may be able to live their lives in the
peace of the one God
and in freedom. Let us also pray for the countries of the region, for Lebanon,
Syria, Iraq and their neighbours: that there may be peace there, that
Christians in those lands where our faith was born may be able to continue
living there, that Christians
and Muslims may build up their countries side by side in God’s peace.
"The shepherds made haste. Holy curiosity and holy joy impelled them. In our
case, it is probably not very often that we make haste for the things of God.
God does not feature among the things that require haste. The things of God
can wait, we think and
we say. And yet He is the most important thing, ultimately the one truly
important thing. Why should we not also be moved by curiosity to see more
closely and to know what God has said to us? At this hour, let us ask Him to
touch our hearts with the
holy curiosity and the holy joy of the shepherds, and thus let us go over
joyfully to Bethlehem, to the Lord Who today once more comes to meet us".
___________________________________________________________
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 24 December 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Thomas
Vu Dinh Hieu, auxiliary of Xuan Loc, Viet Nam, as coadjutor bishop of Bui Chu
(area 1,350, population 1,859,000, Catholics 394,453, priests 163, religious
799), Viet Nam.
___________________________________________________________
THE VISITATION REPRESENTS THE BEAUTY OF HOSPITALITY
Vatican City, 23 December 2012 (VIS) - The Gospel of this fourth Sunday of
Advent preceding the birth of the Lord narrates Mary's visit to her relative
Elizabeth. "This episode is not merely a simple gesture of courtesy, but
rather depicts with great
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